神情恍惚

shénqíng-huǎnghū
idiom

Meanings

  1. 1 absent-minded; distracted
  2. 2 with a dazed, faraway expression

Examples

HSK 3
Tīngdào zhège xiāoxi, tā shénqíng-huǎnghū de zuò zài yǐzi shang.
Hearing the news, she sat dazed in the chair.
HSK 3
Kǎoshì qián tā jǐnzhāng de shénqíng-huǎnghū.
Before the exam he was so nervous he looked spaced out.
HSK 7-9
Tā zuìjìn shénqíng-huǎnghū, hǎoxiàng xīnshì-chóngchóng.
He's been distracted lately, as if something is weighing on him.

Tips

usage
Describes a visible mental state - you look out of it. Often follows as an adverbial (神情恍惚 + verb) or follows 显得/看起来. Different from 心不在焉 (heart-not-here) which stresses inattention more than the dazed look.
memory
恍惚 on its own already means 'dazed / in a trance.' 神情 ('expression') adds 'and you can see it on their face.'

Stroke Order

shén
qíng
huǎng